Professor Evan received his B.A. from Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota in 1967, a M.A. from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1969 (anatomy) and Ph.D. in 1971 (anatomy and pathology). He was a postdoctoral fellow in renal physiology at the University of New Mexico, Department of Physiology, advisor, Dr. Sidney Solomon. He joined the Department of Anatomy at Indiana University School of Medicine in 1997 as Associate Professor and advance to Full Professor in 1981.

Professor Evan is an internationally known leader in the field of renal anatomy and pathology, with particular emphasis on renal stone disease and to polycystic kidney disease. He has served on the Council of the National Kidney Foundation since 1987, and an Advisor to the NIH-NIDDK research committee on Shock Wave Lithotripsy since 1988. He was one of the founding members of the Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation established in 1983 and served as a Scientific Advisor for ten years. He has established a cross-departmental, multidisciplinary group of investigators into the Consortium of Shock Waves in Medicine (CSWM) that are funded through the National Institutes of Health.

Professor Evan has maintained a strong commitment to teaching and has been awarded the Shellhamer Outstanding Teaching Award (1995, 1997, 2001) from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology for his leadership in the classroom.